The 15 Most Unique College Campuses In The World

Parents, teachers, and guidance counselors have been stressing the importance of college since you showed some promise in elementary school by learning your ABCs and being already potty trained. But once you enter high school, the real pressure begins. Is the school respected? Is it affordable? Is it accredited? Who cares about that? The only important thing students should be asking themselves is, "Am I going to have fun on campus?" To help you with the important, but not entirely life-altering choice—you could always transfer—we've listed The Most Nontraditional College Campuses in the World. They all can't be winners.

15. Bond University

Image via Panoramio Location: Gold Coast, Australia

Bond University is one of the most beautiful campuses in the world, surrounded by beaches, kangaroos, and multiple man-made lakes. However, students are warned not to go swimming in the lakes on campus, as they do house a number of crocodiles.

14. SUNY Purchase

Image via Purchase Location: Purchase, New York

Commonly—and lovingly—referred to as "SUNY Poor Choice," students of Purchase are often left wanting more, especially in the area of campus beauty. Mostly known as an art school, tall sculptures are scattered around the grounds, striking fear in the hearts of anyone who sees them in the middle of the night. Also, the buildings are usually described as "prison-like," giving the campus a real homey feel.

13. Shipping and Transport College

Image via Panoramio Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands

The Shipping and Transport College offers education in the field of, obviously, shipping and transport. But to make it even more obvious, the headquarters in Rotterdam is built to look like a gigantic shipping center as well. You know, to avoid confusion as to what students learn at the Shipping and Transport College.

12. Newcastle University

Image via Newcastle Location: Newcastle, Australia

Newcastle's cleverly named "NeW Space" deserves an equally clever introduction: Newcastle is turning the collegiate world on its head! Okay, that's out of the way. NeW Space is a ten-story "vertical" campus, but looks like it'd be more at home in a Disney film.

11. University of Cincinnati

Image via UC Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

To be fair, the University of Cincinnati isn't that crazy of a campus. But let's put it in perspective—it is by far the craziest thing that's happening in Cincinnati. Does anyone live in Cincinnati? Is it even real? People who go to UC are confused, so right on the main street of their campus they built a huge reflective building. "That's us," they say. "We are here. We exist."

10. University of Cape Town

Image via lesabroad Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Students of University of Cape Town get to enjoy the beauty of South Africa in the most popular tourist destination in the whole continent. Cape Town's geography is so unique that it's possible for you to visit multiple beaches in one day, all with a completely different atmosphere. The only downside to getting to study on this campus is that it's nestled just below Devil's Peak, which seems like bad karma.

9. Ave Maria University

Image via Hypowerinc Location: Ave Maria, Florida

Talk about higher education. Ave Maria University serves a higher purpose. The private Catholic school, founded by Catholic philanthropist and former Domino's pizza (also a high food?) owner and founder Tom Monaghan, looks more like a cathedral than an actual university. In fact, after zoning plans for a 25-foot cross were denied in the original site of the college (Michigan), Tom moved the whole school to Florida and made a new town.

8. Tietgenkollegiet Student Hall

Image via Universitypost Location:Ørestad, Denmark

Okay, so this is cheating. The Tietgenkollegiet Student Hall isn't a college—it's only a dorm for the colleges in the area. But it's too dope not to include. Your choice of school should always come second to a completely awesome living situation. Tietgenkollegiet boasts a huge interior court where students can mingle, as well as beautiful common rooms and kitchens, and best of all, every room has floor heating and its own bathroom. It's better than living at home, even if you have to do your own laundry.

7. University of California, San Diego

Image via UCSD Location: San Diego, California

UC San Diego is highly regarded as one of the top research facilities in the world, and well known as one of the top ten public schools in the nation. Beyond that, it inspires in students the ability to do things that shouldn't be physically/mentally possibly, like a bumblebee who's so fat that it shouldn't even be able to fly. Note: the UC San Diego students aren't fat. They're probably gorgeous and sun-kissed. It's just that the Geisel Library looks like a bees nest.

The Geisel Library houses a Dr. Seuss collection, including original drawings and manuscript notes. So, if you're looking for a college that focuses on research regarding one fish versus two fish and red fish versus blue fish, than UC San Diego is a must-apply.

6. RIT Dubai

Image via RIT Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

It's kind of mind blowing that the Rochester Institute of Technology has a satellite campus in Dubai. If you haven't grown up in the tri-state area, Rochester is a city in the state of New York. You've probably never heard of Rochester, but it's safe to say that it's a lot less interesting than Dubai. Dubai's economy is booming, the city is blowing up, and it has a rich and beautiful culture history. Rochester has a really beautiful Arts and Apple Festival, that is, if you like paintings of fairy women and apple sauce. To each their own.

5. Brandeis University

Image via Panoramio Location: Waltham, Massachusetts

Brandeis University is ranked 32nd among national universities in U.S. News & World Report; it's only nine miles outside of Boston, so you get the city and the true college campus charm, not to mention Einstein played such an important part in the founding of the school that it was almost named after him (but he's modest, so he declined).

4. Claremont McKenna College

Image via Sirlounge Location: Claremont, California

The Claremont McKenna College motto, "Crescit cum commercio civitas,"roughly translates into "those in glass house shall not party naked." Of course, Latin is a dead language, so who knows? Claremont McKenna boasts a completely glass "living room" for students to spend time in, and for the shyer kids to feel like they're spending time with their peers. Of course, when your campus is in California, you'd want to be able to see the gorgeous weather all the time, even when you are inside.

3. American College Dublin

Image via Dublin Visitor Centre Location: Dublin, Ireland

The American College Dublin is a liberal arts college that's nestled in the center of Dublin on Merrion Square, in a number of Georgian era houses, including one that was the childhood home of Oscar Wilde. But calm down, bookworms. It's not on the list just because it was by some famous writer's childhood home. Tis a mere stone throw and a leprechaun jaunt from the Guinness Brewery, m'boys. And, as a liberal arts college, where most people major in "performing arts" and "writing," there's going to be a lot of down time to spend there (no disrespect, but the best writers were usually drunks, and besides memorizing lines, what do actors even do for homework?).

2. Venice International University

Image via Panoramio Location: Venice, Italy

What makes schools like Harvard and Princeton so appealing? Their deep-rooted history in academia? The alumni? The prestige of an Ivy League school? It's because they exclude people. But, let's be real, anyone can roll up and do a tour of Harvard. They don't even check SAT scores of the people who are there for family weekend.

Take that exclusion factor to the next level and attend Venice International University. It's located on San Servolo, and the only way to get to campus is by boat. If you've got the cash, you could even call a water taxi if you're running late to class.

1. University of Nottingham

Image via OVA Location: Nottingham, England

Hey '90s kids! Bet you can't wait to go out to college and discover the great big world! Wait, are most '90s kids done with college already? Well, if they're not in college by now then they're probably too young to get the reference anyway. The University of Nottingham sports one of the best replicas of the Angry Beavers dam ever. If BuzzFeed made a list of all the colleges that made you nostalgic for old cartoons, the U of N's Jubilee Campus would be the only thing on that list.

If your parents keep asking you why you're working so hard to be accepted in to a university all the way across the pond in good ol' England, just shake your head. Only '90s kids will get it.